ORLANDO, Fla. — Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to pack downtown Orlando Saturday for this year’s Come Out With Pride event.
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The festival almost didn’t happen in its typical capacity after changes in state law that targeted the LGBTQ+ community.
“We weren’t sure how things were going to end up panning out,” said Come Out With Pride Executive Director Tatiana Quiroga.
The trouble all started with the Parental Rights In Education Law, which critics dubbed “Don’t Say Gay,” which broadened the state ban on teaching sexual identity and gender orientation through 8th grade. It also banned children from going to adult live performances.
Read: This weekend’s pride parade to grow despite state controversy
The Desantis Administration moved to pull food and beverage licenses from those who didn’t listen, causing concerns for people like Davi Oddity. They’re a drag performer and local show director.
“Drag is the way that I essentially found my voice and myself,” said Davi Oddity. “I lacked a sense of community and an understanding of myself.”
Davi Oddity said they felt the impacts of the bill firsthand at their job.
Read: Trans activists joined in Orlando rally ahead of National March this weekend
“It was incredibly upsetting to see my friends who were all involved in this event and their families. These are things they do together, this is how they celebrate their identity and suddenly, they weren’t able to,” said Davi Oddity. “It’s disheartening, truly disheartening.”
Sponsors began pulling out of Orlando’s pride event while other pride parades across the state canceled completely -- all worried they’d face their own legal trouble.
The restaurant Hamburger Mary’s fought against the new law in court. Over the summer, a federal judge ruled the Florida ban on kids at drag shows was unconstitutional. The move motivated more sponsors to chip in, now totaling more than 100 for this year’s festival. The parade will also, for the first time, have more than 200 groups participating -- that’s about 50 more than last year.
Read: SEE: Come Out With Pride unveils its new logo
“Last year, we had over 200,000 people join us,” said Quiroga, “We’re expecting even more this year, which we’re really excited about because, to us, knowing that we are the largest single-day event here in Orlando, knowing that we’ll even have a bigger crowd, speaks volumes.”
For those like Davi Oddity, it’s a chance to feel free.
“It’s going to be probably the loudest, most colorful day of the year,” said Davi Oddity. “I don’t doubt it and I will definitely be running around just a full ball of cheer. Happiness.”
The festivities start at noon at Lake Eola in downtown Orlando. The parade starts at 3 p.m. It will all wrap up with fireworks at the park at 9 p.m.
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